PARIS ANTHOLOGY - Trip Advisor & 18 Months Later
Paris Anthology: Representation of Paris (AQA)
This KS5 lesson is designed for AQA A Level English Literature and Language (Paris Anthology) and focuses on comparative analysis of representation through a TripAdvisor comment and the blog ‘18 Months Later’. The lesson foregrounds how ideas about visiting Paris are constructed through language choices, rather than content recall, and prepares students for the integrated comparison required by the AQA specification.
The lesson follows a task-driven, student-led approach. Students begin by reading the TripAdvisor text independently and recording initial impressions, before applying GRAMPS (Genre, Register, Audience, Mode, Purpose, Structure/Subject Matter) to establish contextual and communicative positioning. GRAMPS guidance and exemplification are provided by the teacher to support accuracy and consistency, but interpretation is intentionally student-generated.
Students then complete a structured language analysis task with a clear focus on representation of Paris. They locate and annotate features across language levels, including graphology, lexis and semantics, grammar, phonology/prosodics, and discourse. The teacher supplies exemplar features and modelling for each level rather than enforcing fixed quotas, allowing flexibility while still supporting AO1 and AO2 development. The emphasis is on purposeful selection and analytical commentary rather than feature-spotting.
The second text, 18 Months Later, is introduced through a comparative lens. Students apply GRAMPS again in bullet-point form, supported by teacher-provided prompts, enabling them to identify contrasts in voice, perspective, and representation. Ideas are integrated across both texts rather than treated separately, reinforcing comparative thinking and supporting AO4.
The lesson culminates in exam-focused application. Students are given a Paris-style comparative question — “Compare and contrast how the writers of these texts express their ideas about visiting Paris” — and use their annotations to plan and, where appropriate, write a comparative response. This stage consolidates AO1 (coherent argument), AO2 (language analysis), AO3 (context through mode, audience, and purpose), and AO4 (connections between texts).
It is not overly content-heavy PowerPoint; independent reading, annotation, and analytical decision-making are central by design. The lesson supports exam preparation while building transferable skills in linguistic analysis and comparative writing.




















